I think these charts reflect more on who each bowler was bowling with than anything else. For example, the west indies quicks of the 80s all seem to have even spreads because they were all great and taking similar stacks of wickets. Steyn is similar today bowling with Morkel and Philander.

Then you have Glenn Mcgrath and Warne, one of whom gobbled up all the top order batsmen leaving the other to feast on the middle order. Some of the others listed didn't necessarily have that great support at the other end, so their results are slightly skewed (lillee, Clarke, Larwood, Kapil Dev)

As an opening bowler your job is to take top order wickets, not to clean up the tail. If you have more tail end wickets than top 3, or even middle order, then you are not taking care of your primary responsibility.
Just my opinion.

As an opening bowler your job is to take top order wickets, not to clean up the tail. If you have more tail end wickets than top 3, or even middle order, then you are not taking care of your primary responsibility.
Just my opinion.

Just a couple of points raised in the thread. First up I don't think the circumstances that Nufan highlighted occur often enough to question the graphs. Besides its a bowler's job to remove nightwatchmen asap. And nighwatchmen succeed often enough for them to be a legit top order wicket.

Satyanash is right. If you clean up the tail after removing the openers you're penalised by the perception you are a tail order basher. Its the job of fast bowlers to get the openers and come back and quash the tail. Akram did that expertly so I think his high no of tail ender wkts proves he did his job.

Lovely analysis. How does Neil Adcock compare to Peter Pollock - given the similar number of Tests and that effectively Pollock was the new Adcock?

>>>>>>WHHOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHH>>>>>>Fascist Dictator of the Heath Davis Appreciation SocietySupporting Petone's Finest since the very start - Iain O'Brien
Adam Wheater - Another batsman off the Essex production line
Also Supporting the All Time #1 Batsman of All Time Ever - Jacques Kallis and the much maligned Peter Siddle.

Just a couple of points raised in the thread. First up I don't think the circumstances that Nufan highlighted occur often enough to question the graphs. Besides its a bowler's job to remove nightwatchmen asap. And nighwatchmen succeed often enough for them to be a legit top order wicket.

Satyanash is right. If you clean up the tail after removing the openers you're penalised by the perception you are a tail order basher. Its the job of fast bowlers to get the openers and come back and quash the tail. Akram did that expertly so I think his high no of tail ender wkts proves he did his job.

You are right of course, but the nightwatchman thing must cancel out for all bowlers. Also, would I prefer somebody like Fazal Mahmood (tail-end % - 23) to Wasim (35)? I am guessing, as NasserFan said, it reflects less competition for top order wickets. What is surprising to me is that Waqar has a lower percentage of tail-end wickets compared to Wasim.I always thought his yorkers would be extremely potent against tali-enders, but I guess Wasim was better at that..

There's a spinner's discount for Lyon as that type doesn't bowl as often at 1-3 as would pace bowlers. Plus there's a discount for Lyon being ****. When those factors are taken into account he's pretty good!